In a recent episode of Crime Suspect, the focus was on the war on drugs and the impact it has on organised crime and vulnerable individuals. City gangs across the UK have been targeted by police in an effort to combat County Lines drug dealers. However, experts argue that more needs to be done to protect those who are most susceptible to the influence of ruthless gangsters.
The discussion also highlighted the need for a health-based approach to tackle the drug problem, as traditional policing efforts seem to only sharpen the sword of organised crime. On this week’s Crime Suspect former Met Detective Peter Bleksley is joined by former Prisons Minister Ann Widdecombe and former undercover officer Neil Woods and former gang member turned mentor and youth worker Nequela Whittaker.
The panel on Crime Suspect emphasised the widespread nature of county lines operations and the dangers posed by the criminals running them. It was revealed that the estimated number of children being exploited into drug dealing and County Lines activities was around 50,000, a figure that is expected to increase. The exploitation of children is seen as a tactical response by organised crime to the successes of the police.
Despite the raids, seizures, and arrests, the size of the drug market remains the same, allowing criminals to continue exploiting vulnerable individuals. Former gang member turned mentor and youth worker, Nequela Whittaker, sheds light on the issue of peer-to-peer grooming within drug gangs. She highlighted the alarming trend of girls recruiting their friends into the cycle of exploitation. Young girls are coerced into drug dealing through manipulation and promises of glamour, perpetuating the cycle of victimisation.
Whittaker argued that the current arrests and imprisonment of low-level gang members are not enough to break the cycle, as the top players continue to evade capture. Click here for more from
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34 Comments
That lady don't no what she's talking about listen to the undercover ex police officer her plan will never work
Its Rigged, if it was real then the police would be tackling the big fish rather than just low level dealers. The supply won't stop, because the system won't allow it 🤷♂️
Anne the old bag 😂😂😂
Anne’s opinion 🚮
Legalise and control it 👍🏼
Gotta make that money
I don’t agree with Anne about the small scale possession , too many arrests & a waste of time & money , this it what they’re supposed to be sorting out , just get the numbers from the people caught in possession and go to the source.We’re not going to get anywhere by making multiple arrests on people that have a clear problem.Also the government are putting alot of it on the streets , it’s always been that way ….Ps I really want to like Anne but I can’t .Also ,comparing methadone to heroin .If they did a reduction system under clinical supervision, there would be practically no more crime , no more shoplifting, a lot less muggings, methadone is not the same
Anne’s only in it to find more profit on arresting people lol
This Neil woods really knows what he’s talking about & is very understanding
They arent interested in solving problems just making money from ,jails , meth programs and child slavery … You arent stopping the drugs world ,you need to embrace it tax it deal with slavery and pollution then use the taxes to benefit the communities … END OF!
School kids recruiting their friends into this.
Widdecombe is clearly on another planet
Anne needs to wake up.sorry love .but I doe love you x
sorry anne love but you havent got a clue about the world you live in. coke/magic and weed should be as legal and controlled the same as ale and ciggies. the kids doing it should be given other options in life there doing it bcos theres fuck all else for them. these ppl making the laws havent even spent a day in the real world that 99% of us live in and shouldnt be in the roles they are making the decisions they make for ppl in a place they have no clue about
All media does nowadays is try to keep you living in fear so you're easily controlled when you need to be by the government. They want it to get so bad that they can take all your freedoms and you'll be grateful for it.
The government the biggest drug dealer in the game yet they aware off the smuggling and encrochat
I think you’ll find THE GOV is ruining Britain 😀
Who let's the drugs into the country THE GOVERNMENT
Why did you invite Ann? Literally not a clue!
Old battle axe
Soft sentences and prisons with tv in the cells ..more like holding camps than prisons …This country has gone soft on criminals..They don't mind prison time because it's clearly no detterent…
Experienced Policeman "Switzerland built their drug laws based on BRITISH stats n experience and as a result, they don't have the same issues n child exploitation".
Ann "You can't compare Switzerland with UK because the demographics are different".
Me "But they (Switzerland) built it on BRITISH research, they took our building blocks, they took something from us, made it better n made it work, why can't we do it"??? 🤔
Help me out if im missing something please?!
Ann hasn't got a clue and she just doesn't listen. It's about saving kids not stopping addiction in this conversation. The police officer has got the right mindset to deal with this issue. I hope our government take his stance too.
It's not so much the drugs that are the problem, tbh.
If you legally allow people to buy cannabis you are taking about 80 percent of profits from drug dealers.
Fact.
Cannabis is the most consumed drug in England.
Cocain second.
Heroin and crack go hand in hand.
They smoke the crack to give them the energy to get money for heroin.
Acid ketamine mdma to name a few don’t cause that much trouble.
Take the value out of the drug, then the criminals wont be interested. As soon as someone is addicted to heroin, they should be given it free like they do with methadone. Drug dealers selling heroin rely on their customers being addicts, but as soon as they are addicted they will lose their customers straight away, therefore the drug dealers will stop selling it, because it is no longer proffitable. Then there will be litterally no heroin on the streets for others to get addicted in the first place. Its not rocket science.
anne nails it, they want the income from on the spot fines etc, its a madness that these so called brains cant see the solution here. its so simple. its almost like our gov want these problems in society, even thier top cops are saying more or less the same thing as i am, they are feeding the gangs ffs lol.
The government are leading the race in destroying Britain
For decades our corrupt politicians have lied to us about cannabis its needs to end now and regulation needs brought in ASAP
But the corrupt politicians will say we need evidence based bla bla bla just look at other countries
All these kids are being abused by the FAILED WAR ON DRUGS our corrupt politicians put in place decades ago its actually crimes against humanity and needs to be medical based 😮
We are a laughing stock compared to other countries and this needs addressed more than schooling hospitals etc
Can I volunteer to help in any way that I could be of assistance as I have suffered from this topic and has been going back 10+ years im now 27 years of age and despise these savages for what they are doing to this country and generations to come.
How can the cps ever be the correct dept to update previous convictions history?
Every conviction ever recorded should be scrutinised for accuracy.
Fabricated convictions are being recorded to enable the theft of targeted children.
There’s no surprise the MP who has served as one of the longest standing MP’s is so out of touch with the day to day reality of life and the majority of the population. Adamantly stamping on logical proven ways in many other countries of dealing with the issue, staying with an old style approach that has never worked and has made it all worse in all areas and thinking what they’re currently doing is effective!! Absolutely ridiculous we have so many out of touch people running the country where a huge percentage of MP’s & civil servants are sniffing up powder in the cubicle or room next to her in the Houses of Parliament, so naive.
It’s money young kids want money each yeah it gets young with each generation because there getting smarter
I think they all have valid point Ann’s 0 tolerance will be a prevention and then what that other bloke said control the market and help people get clean I think hand in hand it will work but for immigration is the biggest threat to our country